News & Results

Van Garderen Wins 2013 Tour of California; Sagan Takes Final Stage

Team BMC Racing’s Tejay van Garderen takes overall victory in Amgen Tour of California 2013 ahead of Michael Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff) after eight days of intensive and heatwave-impacted racing in California.

Jamis-Hagens Berman’s Janier Alexis Acevedo (COL), whose determined climbs in Stages 2 and 7 earned him the precious seconds he needed for a podium finish (+3:26). Acevedo wore the yellow jersey for the first half of the race, and after getting caught out by a breakaway in Stage 5, he battled his way back to podium position yesterday to end the race just ahead of fourth- and fifth-place finishers Mathias Frank (SUI) of BMC Racing Team (+3:32) and Cameron Meyer (AUS) of ORICA GreenEDGE (+3:33). Proving on home turf they are a force to be reckoned with, American cyclists took four of the top 10 finishes overall.

Earlier in today’s stage, a three-man breakaway escaped from the peloton around mile four and held their advantage until 10 miles to the finish, when Vacansoleil-DCM Pro Cycling Team’s Thomas De Gendt (BEL), the third-place finisher in last year’s Giro d’Italia, fell back into the pack. The remaining two riders, Bontrager Cycling Team’s Antoine Duchesne (Petaluma, Calif.) and Santa Rosa-based BISSELL Pro Cycling’s Jason McCartney (Coralville, Iowa) kept their lead until just before the finishing circuits. McCartney, the second of the three to rejoin the peloton, was awarded the Amgen Breakaway from Cancer® Most Courageous Rider Jersey for his ride out front today. McCartney is the only cyclist of the 127 who began this year’s competition who has started and finished in all Eight editions of the Amgen Tour of California.

“It’s been fantastic,” said McCartney of his time with the race over the years. “One year I was third….I got the climbers jersey one year…we won it with Levi [Leipheimer] one year, with [Chris] Horner another year, so I’ve just had great experiences here. It’s a beautiful state. I love racing here.”

McCartney’s teammate on BISSELL Pro Cycling, Carter Jones (Boulder, Colo.), cinched the Nissan King of the Mountain Jersey competition yesterday, having worn the polka-dotted jersey every day since the race began; and Bontrager Cycling Team’s 21-year-old Lawson Craddock (Austin, Texas) came away with the Crunchies Best Young Rider Jersey, which he has worn since Stage 3.

“The future of American cycling has arrived. How fitting that in America ... we’ve seen America’s next big cycling superstar emerge to claim his first major stage race victory, plus a great showing of top 10 finishes by Americans in a field of the top riders in the world,” executive director Kristin Bachochin commented.

Watch video highlights from all stages of the 2013 Amgen Tour of California in our videos section (USA access only)

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